A Helping Hand, a Prayer, and a Necklace in Pasaje, Ecuador

On the third day of our clinic in Pasaje, Ecuador, I headed over to the physical therapy and orthopedics room. Our group was blessed to have an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Curt Barnes, who could give injections for osteoarthritis when necessary. On this day he had seen a young women who had been in a car accident and still had severe pain in her right hand. It was difficult for her to do work and she could not afford to go to a local doctor. Luckily, Dr. Barnes noticed that though the hand had healed from the car accident, there was still a foreign object lodged in the tendon. Together, we prepared the woman for surgery and Dr. Barnes excised the piece of glass. After suturing and bandaging the hand, we prayed with her for her physical and spiritual health. Teary-eyed she thanked us, giving all of us hugs and kisses. I complimented her necklace, a beautiful pearl pendant with a gold chain. She immediately took it off and gifted it to me. Overwhelmed, I began to tear up too. I was wearing a silver cross necklace from home and quickly took it off to give it to her. She took my necklace and said, "This way I will always remember you, your kindness, and Jesus." I said that with her necklace I will always remember and pray for her. I do not know the story behind her golden pearl necklace, but I know the woman was more grateful than I imagined for a simple surgery. I pray that God blesses her hands and that the cross necklace reminds her that God is the true healer of both body and soul.
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